Leading system, leading device, and control method of leading system

ABSTRACT

A leading system has an output unit configured to output a predetermined signal to a first area around a vehicle, and a terminal carried by a person. The terminal has a receiving unit configured to receive the predetermined signal when the person enters the first area and a first notification unit configured to automatically perform a first notification to the person when the predetermined signal is received by the receiving unit.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/737,658, filed on Jan. 8, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/190,305, filed on Nov. 14, 2018, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,559,204, which claims the benefit of priority ofJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-228097 filed on Nov. 28, 2017. Thebenefit of priority is claimed to each of the foregoing, and the entirecontents of each of the foregoing are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a leading system, a leading device, and acontrol method of the leading system capable of finding a target vehicleeasily.

2. Description of Related Art

Not only an owner of a vehicle but also various persons (family memberor another person) may get in the vehicle. There are a wide variety ofvehicles. Therefore, an appearance (vehicle type, color, plate number,or the like) of a target vehicle searched for by a certain person maynot be grasped by the person. When the appearance of the target vehiclesearched for by the person is not grasped, it is difficult for theperson to find the vehicle. Even though the appearance of the targetvehicle searched for by the person is grasped, the vehicle may not beeasily found. For example, when a plurality of vehicles is crowded, itis difficult for the person to find the target vehicle from thevehicles.

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-027546(JP 2017-027546 A), a parking position guidance system configured toguide a user to a parking position of the target vehicle is disclosed.In the parking position guidance system disclosed in JP 2017-027546 A,an on-vehicle device sends the parking position of the vehicle based onglobal positioning system (GPS) data to a management server. A portableterminal acquires the parking position of the vehicle from themanagement server and guides the user to the acquired parking positionof the vehicle.

SUMMARY

However, since the GPS data is insufficient in terms of accuracy, it isnot possible to notify the user of a position of the target vehicle withhigh accuracy in the parking position guidance system disclosed in JP2017-027546 A. Even though the position of the target vehicle isnotified, when the vehicles are crowded, it is difficult for the user tofind the target vehicle from the vehicles.

The disclosure provides a leading system, a leading device, and acontrol method of the leading system capable of finding a target vehiclemore easily.

The disclosure employs a method of automatically performing anotification to a person when a predetermined signal is output to anarea around a vehicle and a terminal carried by the person receives thepredetermined signal.

A first aspect of the disclosure relates to a leading system includingan output unit and a terminal. The output unit is configured to output apredetermined signal to a first area around a vehicle. The terminal iscarried by a person. The terminal has a receiving unit configured toreceive the predetermined signal when the person enters the first area,and a first notification unit configured to automatically perform afirst notification to the person when the predetermined signal isreceived by the receiving unit.

According to the first aspect of the disclosure, since the person caneasily grasp that a target vehicle is close by the first notification,it is possible to easily find the target vehicle even when a pluralityof vehicles is crowded.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the firstnotification may be a notification relating to a distance between theperson and the output unit. Accordingly, it is possible for the personto easily grasp that the person continues to approach the target vehicleby the first notification and thus to find the vehicle more easily.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the terminal mayfurther have a first acquisition unit configured to acquirepredetermined information relating to the output unit, and a detectorconfigured to detect that the predetermined signal is received by thereceiving unit based on the predetermined information acquired by thefirst acquisition unit and a signal received by the receiving unit.Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the first notification(erroneous notification) by reception of a signal different from thepredetermined signal from the output unit.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the terminal mayfurther have a first communication unit configured to be able tocommunicate in an area around the person. The leading system may furtherhave a second communication unit configured to be able to communicate ina second area narrower than the first area around the vehicle, and asecond notification unit configured to automatically perform a secondnotification to the person when the second communication unitcommunicates with the first communication unit. Accordingly, since theperson can easily grasp that the person further approaches the targetvehicle by the second notification, it is possible to find the targetvehicle more easily.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the terminal mayfurther have a second acquisition unit configured to acquire permissioninformation for permitting execution of the second notification. Thesecond notification unit may automatically perform the secondnotification to the person when the second communication unitcommunicates with the first communication unit to acquire the permissioninformation. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the secondnotification (erroneous notification) due to unintended communication.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the terminal mayfurther have a third acquisition unit configured to acquire positioninformation relating to a position of the vehicle, and a thirdnotification unit configured to perform a third notification based onthe position information acquired by the third acquisition unit to theperson. Accordingly, it is possible for the person to easily approachthe target vehicle based on the position information and thus to easilyreceive the first notification.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the thirdnotification may be a guidance to the position of the vehicle.Accordingly, it is possible for the person to easily approach the targetvehicle by simply moving according to the guidance and thus to easilyreceive the first notification.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, a first person whois the person may head toward the vehicle to move and park the vehicleinstead of a second person. The leading system may further have a demandunit configured to demand parking of the vehicle of the first personbased on a request from the second person. Accordingly, it is possiblefor the first person to head toward the target vehicle and to move andpark the vehicle solely when there is the request from the secondperson.

In the leading system according to the first aspect, the output unit maybe a beacon provided in the vehicle, and each of the predeterminedsignal and the predetermined information may include a beacon ID. In theleading system according to the first aspect, the second notificationmay be a blinking of hazard lamps of the vehicle.

A second aspect of the disclosure relates to a leading device carried bya person. The leading device includes a receiving unit and anotification unit. The receiving unit is configured to receive apredetermined signal output by an output unit to an area when the personenters the area around a vehicle. The notification unit is configured toautomatically perform a notification to the person when thepredetermined signal is received by the receiving unit.

A third aspect of the disclosure relates to a method of controlling aleading system having an output unit and a terminal carried by a person.The method of controlling the leading system has outputting apredetermined signal to an area around a vehicle by the output unit,receiving the predetermined signal by the terminal when the personenters the area, and automatically performing a notification to theperson by the terminal when the terminal receives the predeterminedsignal.

It is possible to regard the aspect of the disclosure as the leadingsystem, the leading device, and the like having at least some of theconfigurations or the functions. It is possible to regard the aspect ofthe disclosure as the leading method, the control method of the leadingsystem, the control method of the leading device, and the like includingat least some of the processes. It is possible to regard the aspect ofthe disclosure as a program causing a computer to execute the method, acomputer readable recording medium storing such program in anon-transitory manner, and the like. It is possible to combine each ofthe configurations and the processes to configure the aspect of thedisclosure as long as there is no technical inconsistency.

According to each of the aspects of the disclosure, it is possible tofind the target vehicle more easily.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration example of a valet parking systemof a vehicle according to an embodiment 1;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration example of each device of thevalet parking system of the vehicle according to the embodiment 1;

FIG. 3 shows a process flow example of the valet parking system of thevehicle according to the embodiment 1;

FIG. 4 shows an example of a state where a substitute agent finds atarget vehicle in the embodiment 1;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration example of a valet parking systemof a vehicle according to an embodiment 2;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration example of each device of thevalet parking system of the vehicle according to the embodiment 2;

FIG. 7 shows a process flow example of the valet parking system of thevehicle according to the embodiment 2; and

FIG. 8 shows an example of a state where a substitute agent finds atarget vehicle in the embodiment 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The disclosure relates to a technique capable of easily finding a targetvehicle. A smart key system is known as a technique relating to avehicle. The smart key system is a system capable of locking andunlocking of doors or starting an engine when a unique ID is assigned toa portable apparatus (smart key) that performs wireless communicationwith the vehicle and the ID obtained by the communication matches an IDregistered in advance for the vehicle. As a system based on the smartkey system, there is a system that portable terminals such as a mobilephone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and a notebook type personalcomputer can be used instead of the portable apparatus. The embodimentsof the disclosure can be preferably used, for example, in the systemthat the portable terminal can be used instead of the portableapparatus.

When the system that the portable terminal can be used instead of theportable apparatus is used, it is possible to provide various servicesnot experienced before. For example, it is possible to provide a valetparking service that a substitute agent moves and parks the vehicleinstead of a requester who requests a valet parking. In the valetparking service of the vehicle, the substitute agent heads toward thevehicle in order to move and park the vehicle instead of the requester.However, the substitute agent may not easily find the target vehicledepending on a situation. For example, when a plurality of vehiclesincluding the target vehicle is crowded as when the target vehicle isinvolved in congestion, it is not possible for the substitute agent toeasily find the target vehicle. Consequently, the embodiments of thedisclosure can be preferably used in the valet parking service of thevehicle.

Embodiment 1

Hereinafter, an embodiment 1 of the disclosure will be described withreference to drawings.

System Configuration

A configuration of a valet parking system (leading system configured tolead person to vehicle by notification) of a vehicle according to theembodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configurationexample of a valet parking system 1 of the vehicle according to theembodiment 1. The valet parking system 1 of the vehicle is a system torealize the valet parking service of the vehicle described above. Thevalet parking system 1 of the vehicle has a vehicle control device 100,a key unit 200, a requester terminal 300, a substitute agent terminal400 (leading device), a server 500, and a beacon 600. The requesterterminal 300, the substitute agent terminal 400, and the server 500 areconnected to each other in a communicable manner through a network N.Each of the vehicle control device 100, the key unit 200, and the beacon600 is an on-vehicle device provided in a vehicle 10. Each of therequester terminal 300 and the substitute agent terminal 400 is theportable terminal such as the mobile phone, the smartphone, the tabletterminal, and the notebook type personal computer. The server 500 may beconfigured to have one server or a plurality of servers.

The network N is a public communication network such as the Internet.The network N may be another communication network such as a wide areanetwork (WAN). The network N may include wireless communication networkssuch as a cellular phone communication network such as the mobile phoneand WiFi.

The requester who requests the valet parking of the vehicle can performthe request for the valet parking of the vehicle, a checking of aparking completion report, and the like using the requester terminal300. The request for the valet parking of the vehicle, the checking ofthe parking completion report, and the like may be performed using ageneral application (mail software or browser software) or a dedicatedapplication.

The substitute agent who performs the valet parking of the vehicle canreceive a valet parking request of the vehicle and report parkingcompletion using the substitute agent terminal 400. The reception of thevalet parking request of the vehicle, the report of the parkingcompletion, and the like may be performed using a general application(mail software or browser software) or a dedicated application. When thevalet parking request of the vehicle is received, the substitute agentterminal 400 acquires authentication information for locking andunlocking the doors of the vehicle from the server 500.

The server 500 manages the valet parking request of the vehicle, theparking completion report, the authentication information, and the like.In the embodiment 1, the valet parking request of the vehicle 10 is sentfrom the requester terminal 300 to the substitute agent terminal 400through the server 500, and the parking completion report of the vehicle10 is sent from the substitute agent terminal 400 to the requesterterminal 300 through the server 500.

The vehicle control device 100 performs various controls of the vehicle10. In the embodiment 1, the vehicle control device 100 functions as alocking and unlocking device configured to perform the locking and theunlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehiclecontrol device 100 can communicate with the smart key or the key unit200. The vehicle control device 100 acquires a key ID output from thesmart key or the key unit 200 and permits the locking and the unlockingof the doors of the vehicle 10 when the acquired key ID matches the keyID stored in advance in the vehicle control device 100. When the lockingand the unlocking of the doors are permitted, the vehicle control device100 performs the locking and the unlocking of the doors of the vehicle10 in response to a user operation on the smart key, the portableterminal, a switch provided in the door of the vehicle 10, and the like.It is possible to start the engine of the vehicle 10 by the same processas the process for locking and unlocking the doors of the vehicle 10.

The key unit 200 has the same configuration as the configuration of thesmart key of the vehicle 10. The key unit 200 can communicate with theportable terminal (requester terminal 300 or substitute agent terminal400) in addition to the communication with the vehicle control device100. The key unit 200 acquires the authentication information outputfrom the portable terminal and performs authentication using theacquired authentication information. When the authentication succeeds,the key unit 200 outputs the key ID of the vehicle 10 stored in advancein the key unit 200. As a result, determination is made that the key IDacquired from the key unit 200 by the vehicle control device 100 matchesthe key ID stored in advance in the vehicle control device 100, and thelocking and the unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10 are permitted.Therefore, even a person who does not hold the smart key can lock andunlock the doors of the vehicle 10 using the portable terminal insteadof the smart key.

A method of performing the locking and the unlocking of the doors of thevehicle 10 using the portable terminal instead of the smart key is notlimited to the above method. For example, the portable terminal mayacquire and output the key ID, and the vehicle control device 100 mayacquire the key ID output from the portable terminal and use theacquired key ID for the process.

The beacon 600 outputs a predetermined beacon signal to a predeterminedtransmission area around the vehicle 10 (beacon 600). The beacon signalof the beacon 600 includes a beacon ID for specifying the beacon 600.The transmission area is, for example, an area of several tens of metersin radius with an installation position of the beacon 600 as the center.Specifically, the transmission area is an area of 30 meters or more and100 meters or less in radius. Another transmitter having the samefunction as the beacon may be used instead of the beacon 600.

Device Configuration

A configuration of each device of the valet parking system 1 of thevehicle will be schematically described. FIG. 2 shows a schematicconfiguration example of each device of the valet parking system 1 ofthe vehicle. In FIG. 2 , the network N in FIG. 1 is omitted. As shown inFIG. 2 , the vehicle control device 100 has an LF sender 110, an RFreceiver 120, a storage unit 130, a collation electronic control unit(ECU) 140, a door lock actuator 150, and a body ECU 160. The key unit200 has an LF receiver 210, a short-range communication unit 220, astorage unit 230, a controller 240, and an RF sender 250. The requesterterminal 300 has an operation unit 310, a storage unit 320, a controller330, a communication unit 340, and a notification unit 350. Thesubstitute agent terminal 400 has a storage unit 410, a short-rangecommunication unit 420, a controller 440, a communication unit 450, abeacon receiver 460, and a notification unit 470. The server 500 has acontroller 510, a storage unit 520, and a communication unit 530.

Configuration of Vehicle Control Device 100

A configuration of the vehicle control device 100 will be described indetail.

The LF sender 110 sends a radio wave of a low frequency (LF) band fordetecting (polling) the key unit 200 or the smart key. The LF band is,for example, a frequency band of 100 kHz or more and 300 kHz or less.

The RF receiver 120 receives a radio wave of a high frequency (RF) bandsent from the key unit 200 or the smart key. The RF band is, forexample, a frequency band of 100 MHz or more and 1 GHz or less. Forexample, the RF receiver 120 receives a radio wave indicating the keyID, locking and unlocking information for instructing the locking or theunlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10.

The storage unit 130 stores various pieces of information (data) such asthe key ID of the vehicle 10, a program executed by the collation ECU140, and a program executed by the body ECU 160. For example, thestorage unit 130 is a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, or the like.

The collation ECU 140 analyzes the radio wave received by the RFreceiver 120. For example, the collation ECU 140 determines whether thekey ID acquired by the RF receiver 120 matches the key ID of the vehicle10 stored in advance in the storage unit 130. When the determination ismade that the key ID acquired by the RF receiver 120 matches the key IDof the vehicle 10 stored in advance in the storage unit 130, thecollation ECU 140 permits the locking and the unlocking of the doors ofthe vehicle 10. When the locking and the unlocking of the doors arepermitted, the collation ECU 140 outputs locking and unlocking controlsignals for controlling the locking and the unlocking of the doors ofthe vehicle 10 according to the locking and unlocking informationacquired by the RF receiver 120.

The door lock actuator 150 is an actuator (motor or the like) configuredto perform the locking and the unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10.

The body ECU 160 performs the overall control of the vehicle 10. Forexample, the body ECU 160 drives the door lock actuator 150 such thatthe locking or the unlocking of the doors of the vehicle 10 is performedaccording to the locking and unlocking control signals output from thecollation ECU 140. The locking and unlocking control signals, a drivesignal for driving the door lock actuator 150, and the like are sentthrough an in-vehicle network such as a controller area network (CAN).The collation ECU 140 and the body ECU 160 may be integrally configured.

Configuration of Key Unit 200

A configuration of the key unit 200 will be described in detail.

The LF receiver 210 receives a polling signal (radio wave of RF band)output from the vehicle control device 100 (LF sender 110).

The short-range communication unit 220 is configured to be able tocommunicate in a communication area around the vehicle 10 (key unit200). The communication area of the short-range communication unit 220is narrower than the transmission area of the beacon 600. Theshort-range communication unit 220 communicates with the portableterminal (requester terminal 300 or substitute agent terminal 400) andacquires the authentication information from the portable terminal. Forexample, the short-range communication unit 220 performs near fieldcommunication in accordance with a predetermined wireless communicationstandard. Specifically, the short-range communication unit 220 performsthe communication in accordance with the standard such as Bluetooth(registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC),ultra wide band (UWB), or WiFi.

The storage unit 230 stores various pieces of information (data) such asreference information referred to by the authentication using theauthentication information, the key ID of the vehicle 10, and a programexecuted by the controller 240. For example, the storage unit 230 is thesemiconductor memory, the magnetic disk, the optical disk, or the like.

The controller 240 is a processor (central processing unit (CPU) ordigital signal processor (DSP)) configured to perform the overallcontrol of the key unit 200. The controller 240 has an authenticationunit 241. The authentication unit 241 performs the authentication usingthe authentication information acquired by the short-range communicationunit 220. When the authentication by the authentication unit 241succeeds, the controller 240 instructs the RF sender 250 to output thekey ID or the locking and unlocking information. The controller 240 mayread and execute the program stored in advance in the storage unit 230to realize various functions including the authentication unit 241 ormay not read and execute the program. The various functions includingthe authentication unit 241 may be realized by hardware.

The authentication unit 241 determines that the authentication succeedswhen the authentication information acquired by the short-rangecommunication unit 220 satisfies a predetermined condition anddetermines that the authentication fails when the authenticationinformation does not satisfy the predetermined condition. Thepredetermined condition is, for example, any of the following conditions1 to 3.

Condition 1: The authentication information matches the referenceinformation.

Condition 2: A result of performing a predetermined process (encryptionprocess, decryption process, or the like) on one piece of theauthentication information and the reference information matches theother piece of the authentication information and the referenceinformation.

Condition 3: A result of performing the predetermined process(encryption process, decryption process, or the like) on theauthentication information matches a result of performing the process onthe reference information.

The RF sender 250 sends a radio wave (radio wave of the RF band)indicating the key ID or the locking and unlocking information inresponse to the instruction from the controller 240. Specifically, theRF sender 250 sends the radio wave indicating the key ID of the vehicle10 stored in advance in the storage unit 230, sends the radio waveindicating the locking and unlocking information generated by thecontroller 240, or sends the radio wave indicating both the key ID andthe locking and unlocking information. An acquisition method of the keyID or the locking and unlocking information is not particularly limited.For example, an encryption key ID (encrypted key ID) may be stored inadvance in the storage unit 230, and the controller 240 may perform thedecryption process using the authentication information on theencryption key ID to generate a key ID (not encrypted key ID; decryptionkey ID). The short-range communication unit 220 may acquire the lockingand unlocking information output from the portable terminal.

Configuration of Requester Terminal 300

A configuration of the requester terminal 300 will be described indetail. The requester terminal 300 is carried by the requester.

The operation unit 310 accepts a user operation on the requesterterminal 300. For example, the operation unit 310 accepts a requestoperation and the like for the valet parking request of the vehicle.

The storage unit 320 stores various pieces of information (data) such asthe parking completion report acquired by the requester terminal 300 anda program executed by the controller 330. For example, the storage unit320 is the semiconductor memory, the magnetic disk, the optical disk, orthe like.

The controller 330 is a processor (CPU or DSP) configured to perform theoverall control of the requester terminal 300. The controller 330instructs the communication unit 340 to output request information forthe valet parking request of the vehicle in response to the requestoperation. The request information includes requester information forspecifying the requester, vehicle information for specifying the vehicle10, predetermined beacon related information relating to the beacon 600,position information relating to a position (current position) of thevehicle 10, and the like. For example, the requester information is anID, a name, an age, a gender, or the like of the requester. The vehicleinformation is an ID, a vehicle type, a color, a plate number, or thelike of the vehicle 10. The beacon related information is the beacon IDor the like of the beacon 600. The position information is latitude andlongitude of the current position or the like of the vehicle 10.

The request information may not include the requester information. Therequester information may be input to the requester terminal 300 by therequest operation or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 320.The requester information may be registered in advance in the server500. The same applies to the vehicle information or the beacon relatedinformation. The request information may not include the positioninformation. A receiver of a satellite positioning system such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) may acquire information obtained by thesatellite positioning system as the position information. The receivermay be provided in the requester terminal 300 or in the vehicle 10. Whenthe receiver is provided in the requester terminal 300, the receiver canacquire information received in a state where the requester is in thevehicle 10, in a state where the requester is around the vehicle 10, orthe like as the position information of the vehicle 10. When thereceiver is provided in the vehicle 10, the requester terminal 300 orthe server 500 acquires the position information acquired by thereceiver from the vehicle 10. The position information may be input tothe requester terminal 300 by the request operation.

The communication unit 340 communicates with the server 500. Forexample, the communication unit 340 outputs the request information tothe server 500 in response to the instruction from the controller 330.The request information is output from the server 500 to the substituteagent terminal 400. Therefore, the substitute agent is demanded toperform the valet parking of the vehicle 10 based on a demand from therequester by the process of the communication unit 340. Thecommunication unit 340 acquires the parking completion report from theserver 500. The controller 330 stores (records) the parking completionreport acquired by the communication unit 340 in the storage unit 320.

The notification unit 350 notifies the requester of the parkingcompletion report acquired by the communication unit 340. For example,the notification unit 350 has a speaker or a display unit and notifiesthe requester of the parking completion report by a voice output or animage display.

At least some processes performed by the requester terminal 300 may beperformed by the on-vehicle device of the vehicle 10. For example, aprocess (output of request information or the like) performed by thecommunication unit 340 for demanding the valet parking of the vehiclemay be performed by the on-vehicle device.

Configuration of Substitute Agent Terminal 400

A configuration of the substitute agent terminal 400 will be described.The substitute agent terminal 400 is carried by the substitute agent.

The storage unit 410 stores various pieces of information (data) such asinformation (request information or authentication information) acquiredby the communication unit 450, a program executed by the controller 440,and the like.

The short-range communication unit 420 is configured to be able tocommunicate in a communication area around the substitute agent(substitute agent terminal 400). The short-range communication unit 420communicates with the key unit 200 (short-range communication unit 220).For example, the short-range communication unit 420 performs the nearfield communication in accordance with the predetermined wirelesscommunication standard (standard such as BLE, NFC, UWB, and WiFi). Inthe embodiment 1, after the acquisition of the request information bythe substitute agent terminal 400 is checked, the substitute agent headstoward the vehicle 10. When the substitute agent (substitute agentterminal 400) enters the communication area of the short-rangecommunication unit 220, the short-range communication unit 420 outputsthe authentication information acquired by the substitute agent terminal400 to the short-range communication unit 220. Accordingly, it ispossible to achieve the valet parking accompanying the locking andunlocking of the vehicle 10.

The operation unit 430 accepts a user operation on the substitute agentterminal 400. For example, the operation unit 430 accepts the completionoperation for notifying the requester terminal 300 of the completion ofthe valet parking of the vehicle or the like.

The controller 440 is a processor (CPU or DSP) configured to perform theoverall control of the substitute agent terminal 400. The controller 440instructs the communication unit 450 to output the parking completionreport in response to a completion operation. After the substitute agentlocks the doors of the vehicle 10 from the outside of the vehicle 10 andperforms the completion operation, the controller 440 deletes theauthentication information from the storage unit 410. Accordingly, it ispossible to suppress getting in or driving of the vehicle 10 by thesubstitute agent after the parking is completed.

Invalidation of the authentication information is not limited to thedeletion of the authentication information. For example, theauthentication information may be invalidated by rewriting of theauthentication information. The number of usable times and a usableperiod of the same authentication information may be limited. Whetherthe number of use times exceeds the number of usable times, whether acurrent time point is within the usable period, or the like can bedetermined by the key unit 200 or the substitute agent terminal 400.

The communication unit 450 communicates with the server 500. Forexample, the communication unit 450 acquires the request information orthe authentication information from the server 500. The communicationunit 450 outputs the parking completion report (position information) tothe server 500 in response to the instruction from the controller 440.

The beacon receiver 460 receives a beacon signal. When the substituteagent (substitute agent terminal 400) enters the transmission area ofthe beacon 600, the beacon receiver 460 receives the beacon signalemitted from the beacon 600.

The controller 440 has a beacon detector 441. The beacon detector 441detects that the beacon signal of the beacon 600 is received by thebeacon receiver 460 based on the request information (beacon relatedinformation) acquired by the communication unit 450 and the beaconsignal received by the beacon receiver 460. Specifically, when a beaconID received by the beacon receiver 460 matches the beacon ID of thebeacon 600, the beacon detector 441 determines that the beacon signal ofthe beacon 600 is received by the beacon receiver 460. When the beaconID received by the beacon receiver 460 does not match the beacon ID ofthe beacon 600, the beacon detector 441 determines that a beacon signalof a beacon different from the beacon 600 is received by the beaconreceiver 460. A method of determining whether the beacon signal of thebeacon 600 is received by the beacon receiver 460 is not limited to theabove method. The controller 440 may or may not realize variousfunctions including the function of the beacon detector 441 by readingand executing the program stored in advance in the storage unit 410. Thevarious functions including the function of the beacon detector 441 maybe realized by hardware.

The notification unit 470 performs various notifications to thesubstitute agent. For example, the notification unit 470 performs arequest notification, a position notification, a beacon notification,and the like. The request notification is a notification of the requestinformation acquired by the communication unit 450 and is, for example,a notification that there is a request for the valet parking of thevehicle. The position notification is a notification based on theposition information and is, for example, a notification of the currentposition of the vehicle 10. The beacon notification is a notificationbased on a detection result of the beacon detector 441 and is, forexample, a notification that the substitute agent enters thetransmission area of the beacon 600. The beacon notification isautomatically performed when the beacon signal of the beacon 600 isreceived by the beacon receiver 460. Specifically, when the beacondetector 441 determines that the beacon signal of the beacon 600 isreceived by the beacon receiver 460, the beacon notification isautomatically performed. A method of realizing various notifications isnot particularly limited. However, for example, the notification unit470 has a speaker or a display unit and realizes the variousnotifications by a voice output or an image display.

The notification unit 470 may or may not have a plurality of functionunits configured to respectively perform a plurality of notifications.The notifications may be performed by one function unit. Onenotification may be performed by the function units. The requestnotification or the position notification may not be performed. However,when the request notification is performed, the substitute agent headstoward the vehicle 10 and can move and park the vehicle 10 solely whenthere is the request from the requester. When the position notificationis performed, the substitute agent can easily approach the vehicle 10based on the position information and can easily receive the beaconnotification. When the beacon signal is received by the beacon receiver460, the beacon notification may be automatically performedindependently of a process result of the beacon detector 441. However,when the process result of the beacon detector 441 is considered, it ispossible to suppress the beacon notification (erroneous notification)due to reception of the beacon signal of the beacon different from thebeacon 600.

Configuration of Server 500

A configuration of the server 500 will be described. The controller 510is a processor (CPU or DSP) configured to perform the overall control ofthe server 500. The storage unit 520 stores various pieces ofinformation (data). For example, the storage unit 520 is thesemiconductor memory, the magnetic disk, the optical disk, or the like.The storage unit 520 stores in advance the authentication informationfor each vehicle. The communication unit 530 communicates with therequester terminal 300 or the substitute agent terminal 400(communication unit 340 or the communication unit 450).

For example, the communication unit 530 acquires the request informationfrom the requester terminal 300. When the communication unit 530acquires the request information from the requester terminal 300, thecontroller 510 instructs the communication unit 530 to output therequest information and the authentication information of the vehicle 10stored in the storage unit 520. The communication unit 530 outputs therequest information acquired from the requester terminal 300 and theauthentication information of the vehicle 10 to the substitute agentterminal 400 in response to the instruction from the controller 510.

The communication unit 530 acquires the parking completion report fromthe substitute agent terminal 400. When the communication unit 530acquires the parking completion report from the substitute agentterminal 400, the controller 510 instructs the communication unit 530 tooutput the parking completion report. The communication unit 530 outputsthe parking completion report acquired from the substitute agentterminal 400 to the requester terminal 300 in response to theinstruction from the controller 510.

Process Flow of Valet Parking System 1 of Vehicle

A process flow of the valet parking system 1 of the vehicle will bedescribed. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a process flow exampleof the valet parking system 1 of the vehicle. FIG. 4 schematically showsan example of a state where the substitute agent finds the vehicle 10.

First, the requester performs the request operation on the operationunit 310 of the requester terminal 300 (step S301 in FIG. 3 ). Next, thecommunication unit 340 of the requester terminal 300 outputs the requestinformation (requester information, vehicle information, beacon relatedinformation, position information, or the like) to the communicationunit 530 of the server 500 in response to the request operation (stepS302 in FIG. 3 ). The communication unit 530 returns request receptioninformation to the communication unit 340 in response to the acquisitionof the request information (step S303 in FIG. 3 ). The request receptioninformation indicates, for example, that the request information isacquired, the valet parking request of the vehicle is received, and thelike. Accordingly, the requester can grasp that the valet parkingrequest of the vehicle is successfully performed by checking the requestreception information.

Next, the communication unit 530 of the server 500 outputs the requestinformation and the authentication information of the vehicle 10 to thecommunication unit 450 of the substitute agent terminal 400 in responseto the acquisition of the request information (step S304 in FIG. 3 ).The request information that is output from the server 500 to thesubstitute agent terminal 400 may or may not be the same as the requestinformation that is output from the requester terminal 300 to the server500. For example, the request information that is output from therequester terminal 300 to the server 500 includes the requesterinformation and the vehicle information. The request information that isoutput from the server 500 to the substitute agent terminal 400 may notinclude at least one of the requester information and the vehicleinformation. However, when the request information that is output fromthe server 500 to the substitute agent terminal 400 includes the vehicleinformation, the substitute agent can easily find the vehicle 10 sincethe vehicle information can be checked. Information including solely thebeacon related information and the position information may be outputfrom the server 500 to the substitute agent terminal 400 as the requestinformation.

The notification unit 470 of the substitute agent terminal 400 performsthe position notification to the substitute agent based on the requestinformation (position information) acquired by the communication unit450 of the substitute agent terminal 400 (step S305 in FIG. 3 ). Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4 , the notification unit 470 (display unit)displays a map image I1 indicating a position (star in FIG. 4 ) obtainedby the satellite positioning system. The substitute agent can easilyapproach the vehicle 10 by checking the map image I1. Since there is acase where the vehicle 10 moves, it is preferable that the positioninformation is repeatedly sent from the requester terminal 300 to thesubstitute agent terminal 400 through the server 500. The substituteagent approaches the vehicle 10 to enter a transmission area A1 of thebeacon 600 (FIG. 4 ).

When substitute agent (substitute agent terminal 400) enters thetransmission area A1, the beacon receiver 460 of the substitute agentterminal 400 receives the beacon signal emitted from the beacon 600(step S306 in FIG. 3 ). The beacon detector 441 of the substitute agentterminal 400 detects that the beacon signal of the beacon 600 isreceived by the beacon receiver 460 (step S307 in FIG. 3 ; detection ofthe beacon 600). Specifically, determination is made that the beacon ID(beacon ID included in beacon signal) received by the beacon receiver460 matches the beacon ID (beacon ID included in request information)acquired by the communication unit 450 of the substitute agent terminal400. As a result, the determination is made that the beacon signal ofthe beacon 600 is received by the beacon receiver 460.

The notification unit 470 of the substitute agent terminal 400automatically performs the beacon notification to the substitute agentin response to the detection of the beacon 600 (step S308 in FIG. 3 ).For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the notification unit 470 displays agraphic I2 (text or icon) indicating that the vehicle 10 is close. Thesubstitute agent can easily grasp that the vehicle 10 is close bychecking the graphic I2 and thus can easily find the vehicle 10. Whenthe substitute agent further approaches the vehicle 10, the substituteagent enters a communication area A2 of the short-range communicationunit 220 provided in the key unit 200.

When the substitute agent (substitute agent terminal 400) enters thecommunication area A2, the authentication information (authenticationinformation of vehicle 10) acquired by the communication unit 450 of thesubstitute agent terminal 400 is sent from the short-range communicationunit 420 of the substitute agent terminal 400 to the short-rangecommunication unit 220 of the key unit 200 (step S309 in FIG. 3 ). Theauthentication unit 241 of the key unit 200 succeeds in theauthentication using the authentication information acquired by theshort-range communication unit 220 (step S310 in FIG. 3 ). When theauthentication of the authentication information succeeds, variousprocesses (processes of vehicle control device 100 or key unit 200)described above are performed, and a vehicle operation performed by thesubstitute agent to the vehicle 10 for the valet parking of the vehiclecan be executed (step S311 in FIG. 3 ). The vehicle operation by thesubstitute agent is an operation to perform an instruction to lock andunlock the doors of the vehicle 10, an operation to perform aninstruction to start the engine of the vehicle 10, and the like. Thesubstitute agent gets in the vehicle 10 and moves and parks the vehicle10 instead of the requester (FIG. 4 ). The substitute agent may have aspare key or the like of the vehicle 10 and perform the vehicleoperation using the spare key.

Summary

According to the embodiment 1, as described above, when thepredetermined beacon signal is output to the area around the vehicle 10and the substitute agent terminal 400 receives the predetermined beaconsignal, the beacon notification to the substitute agent is automaticallyperformed. Accordingly, since the substitute agent can easily grasp thatthe vehicle 10 is close by the beacon notification, it is possible forthe substitute agent to easily find the vehicle 10 under varioussituations. For example, even when the vehicles are crowded, it ispossible for the substitute agent to easily find the vehicle 10 from thevehicles.

It is possible to obtain a distance to the beacon that emits the beaconsignal by analyzing the beacon signal. Therefore, the beaconnotification may be notification relating to a distance between thesubstitute agent and the beacon 600. The distance between the substituteagent and the beacon 600 corresponds to a distance between thesubstitute agent and the vehicle 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 ,the notification unit 470 of the substitute agent terminal 400 maydisplay graphics 13, 14 indicating the distance to the vehicle 10(beacon 600). Accordingly, the substitute agent can easily grasp thedistance to the vehicle 10, the approaching to the vehicle 10, or thelike by checking the graphics 13, 14 and thus can find the vehicle 10more easily.

The position notification may be a guidance to the position of thevehicle 10. Accordingly, the substitute agent can easily approach thevehicle 10 by simply moving according to the guidance and easily receivethe beacon notification.

Embodiment 2

Hereinafter, an embodiment 2 of the disclosure will be described withreference to drawings. In the following description, points(configurations or processes) different from the embodiment 1 will bedescribed in detail, and the description of the same points as theembodiment 1 will be omitted. In the embodiment 2, an example that thesubstitute agent can find the target vehicle more easily will bedescribed.

System Configuration

A configuration of a valet parking system according to the embodiment 2will be described. FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration example of avalet parking system 2 of the vehicle according to the embodiment 2. Theconfiguration of the valet parking system 2 of the vehicle is the sameas the configuration of the embodiment 1 (FIG. 1 ). However, the valetparking system 2 of the vehicle has a vehicle control device 700 insteadof the vehicle control device 100 in the embodiment 1. The vehiclecontrol device 700 has the same function as the vehicle control device100. However, the vehicle control device 700 can also communicate withthe portable terminal (requester terminal 300 or substitute agentterminal 400).

Configuration of Vehicle Control Device 700

A configuration of the vehicle control device 700 will be described.FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration example of each device of thevalet parking system 2 of the vehicle. In FIG. 6 , the network N in FIG.5 is omitted. The vehicle control device 700 has each unit included inthe vehicle control device 100 in the embodiment 1 and a short-rangecommunication unit 710.

The short-range communication unit 710 is configured to be able tocommunicate in a communication area around the vehicle 10 (vehiclecontrol device 700). The communication area of the short-rangecommunication unit 710 is narrower than the transmission area of thebeacon 600 and is wider the communication area of the short-rangecommunication unit 220. The short-range communication unit 710communicates with the portable terminal (requester terminal 300 or thesubstitute agent terminal 400) to acquire notification permissioninformation from the portable terminal. For example, the short-rangecommunication unit 710 performs the near field communication inaccordance with the predetermined wireless communication standard(standard such as BLE, NFC, UWB, and WiFi).

In the collation ECU 140 and the body ECU 160 in the embodiment 2, thefollowing process is further performed.

The collation ECU 140 in the embodiment 2 analyzes the notificationpermission information acquired by the short-range communication unit710. For example, the collation ECU 140 determines whether thenotification permission information acquired by the short-rangecommunication unit 710 matches notification permission information ofthe vehicle 10 stored in advance in the vehicle control device 700(storage unit 130). When the determination is made that the notificationpermission information acquired by the short-range communication unit710 matches the notification permission information of the vehicle 10,the collation ECU 140 outputs a notification control signal for thenotification (vehicle notification) by the vehicle 10. A method ofanalyzing the notification permission information is not limited as longas it is possible to detect that the notification permission informationof the vehicle 10 is acquired by the short-range communication unit 710.

The body ECU 160 in the embodiment 2 drives hazard lamps such that thehazard lamps of the vehicle 10 blink in response to the notificationcontrol signal output from the collation ECU 140. The notificationcontrol signal and a drive signal for driving the hazard lamps are sentthrough the in-vehicle network such as the CAN.

In the embodiment 2, when the authentication information of the vehicle10 is acquired, the substitute agent terminal 400 also acquires thenotification permission information of the vehicle 10 from the server500. When the substitute agent (substitute agent terminal 400) entersthe communication area of the short-range communication unit 710, thesubstitute agent terminal 400 outputs the acquired notificationpermission information to the short-range communication unit 710.Accordingly, the vehicle notification by the blinking of the hazardlamps of the vehicle 10 is automatically performed to the substituteagent.

The vehicle notification is not limited to the blinking of the hazardlamps. For example, a horn sound may be output as the vehiclenotification. The vehicle notification may be automatically performedwhen the vehicle control device communicates with another device insteadof using the notification permission information. However, when thenotification permission information is used, it is possible to suppressthe vehicle notification (erroneous notification) due to unintendedcommunication.

Process Flow of Valet Parking System 2 of Vehicle

A process flow of the valet parking system 2 of the vehicle will bedescribed. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a process flow exampleof the valet parking system 2 of the vehicle. FIG. 8 schematically showsan example of a state where the substitute agent finds the vehicle 10.

First, similarly to the embodiment 1, the requester performs the requestoperation, the requester terminal 300 outputs the request information tothe server 500, and the server 500 returns the request receptioninformation to the requester terminal 300 (steps S301 to S303 in FIG. 7). Next, the communication unit 530 of the server 500 outputs therequest information, the authentication information of the vehicle 10,and the notification permission information of the vehicle 10 to thecommunication unit 450 of the substitute agent terminal 400 in responseto the acquisition of the request information (step S701 in FIG. 7 ).The storage unit 520 of the server 500 stores in advance thenotification permission information of each vehicle. The controller 440of the substitute agent terminal 400 records the information acquiredfrom the server 500 in the storage unit 410 of the substitute agentterminal 400.

Similarly to the embodiment 1, the substitute agent terminal 400performs the position notification (step S305 in FIG. 7 ). Thereafter,the substitute agent approaches the vehicle 10 based on the positionnotification to enter the transmission area A1 of the beacon 600 (FIG. 8). When the substitute agent enters the transmission area A1, similarlyto the embodiment 1, the substitute agent terminal 400 receives thebeacon signal emitted from the beacon 600 to detect the beacon 600(steps S306, S307 in FIG. 7 ). Similarly to the embodiment 1, thesubstitute agent terminal 400 automatically performs the beaconnotification to the substitute agent (step S308 in FIG. 7 ). Thereafter,the substitute agent further approaches the vehicle 10 based on thebeacon notification to enter a communication area A3 of the short-rangecommunication unit 710 provided in the vehicle control device 700 beforethe substitute agent enters the communication area A2 of the short-rangecommunication unit 220 provided in the key unit 200 (FIG. 8 ).

When the substitute agent (substitute agent terminal 400) enters thecommunication area A3, the notification permission information(notification permission information of vehicle 10) acquired by thecommunication unit 450 of the substitute agent terminal 400 is sent fromthe short-range communication unit 420 of the substitute agent terminal400 to the short-range communication unit 710 of the vehicle controldevice 700 (step S702 in FIG. 7 ). Next, the collation ECU 140 of thevehicle control device 700 succeeds in the authentication using thenotification permission information acquired by the short-rangecommunication unit 710 and outputs the notification control signal (stepS703 in FIG. 7 ). Specifically, determination is made that thenotification permission information acquired by the short-rangecommunication unit 710 matches the notification permission informationof the vehicle 10 and the notification control signal is output.

The body ECU 160 of the vehicle control device 700 drives the hazardlamps such that the hazard lamps of the vehicle 10 blink in response tothe notification control signal output from the collation ECU 140 (stepS704 in FIG. 7 ; hazard lamps of vehicle 10 in FIG. 8 blink; vehiclenotification). The substitute agent can find the vehicle 10 more easilythan in the embodiment 1 by noticing the blinking of the hazard lamps ofthe vehicle 10. When the substitute agent further approaches the vehicle10, the substitute agent enters the communication area A2 of theshort-range communication unit 220 provided in the key unit 200 (FIG. 8).

When the substitute agent enters the communication area A2, similarly tothe embodiment 1, the authentication information is sent from thesubstitute agent terminal 400 to the key unit 200, and the key unit 200succeeds in the authentication of the authentication information (stepsS309, S310 in FIG. 7 ). When the key unit 200 succeeds in theauthentication of the authentication information succeeds, theshort-range communication unit 220 of the key unit 200 outputsauthentication success information to the short-range communication unit420 of the substitute agent terminal 400 (step S705 in FIG. 7 ). Theauthentication success information indicates that the authentication ofthe authentication information is successful or the like. The controller440 of the substitute agent terminal 400 deletes the notificationpermission information of the vehicle 10 from the storage unit 410 ofthe substitute agent terminal 400 in response to the acquisition of theauthentication success information (step S706 in FIG. 7 ). Accordingly,it is possible to suppress the vehicle notification after the substituteagent finds the vehicle 10. Similarly to the embodiment 1, the variousprocesses (processes of vehicle control device 100 or the key unit 200)are performed, and the vehicle operation performed by the substituteagent to the vehicle 10 for the valet parking of the vehicle can beexecuted (step S311 in FIG. 7 ). The substitute agent gets in thevehicle 10 and moves and parks the vehicle 10 instead of the requester(FIG. 8 ).

Summary

According to the embodiment 2, as described above, the vehiclenotification after the beacon notification is further performedautomatically. Accordingly, since the substitute agent can easily graspthat the substitute agent further approaches the vehicle 10 by thevehicle notification, it is possible to find the vehicle 10 more easily.The vehicle notification may be performed without the beaconnotification.

The configurations in the embodiments 1, 2, the processes, the service,and the like are merely examples. A change or modification of theembodiments 1, 2 as appropriate within a scope of the gist of thedisclosure is included in the disclosure. A configuration obtained bycombining the configurations in the embodiments 1, 2 as appropriate orthe like is also included in the disclosure. For example, when therequester picks up the vehicle parked by the substitute agent, thenotifications as described above may be performed from the requesterterminal to the requester. When the person returns to the vehicle aftera certain person parks the vehicle, the notifications as described abovemay be performed to the person.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory storage medium storinginstructions that are executable by one or more processors of a firstterminal and one or more processors of a second terminal and that causethe one or more processors of the first terminal and the one or moreprocessors of the second terminal to execute a method comprising:sending, by the first terminal, a request information to a server, therequest information including position information relating to aposition of a vehicle, and vehicle identification information of thevehicle; receiving, by the second terminal from the server, a requestsignal that includes the position information relating to the positionof the vehicle, and the vehicle identification information of thevehicle; displaying, on the second terminal, map information includingthe position information; receiving, from a device provided in thevehicle when the second terminal enters a first area around the vehicle,a signal that includes vehicle identification information that matchesthe vehicle identification information included in the request signal;and displaying, on the second terminal in response to reception of thesignal from the device provided in the vehicle that includes the vehicleidentification information, first information indicating that thevehicle is near the second terminal.
 2. The non-transitory storagemedium according to claim 1, wherein the map information is displayedbefore the second terminal enters the first area around the vehicle. 3.The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein themethod further comprises displaying on the second terminal, secondinformation indicating a distance between the vehicle and the secondterminal after displaying the first information.
 4. The non-transitorystorage medium according to claim 1, wherein the method furthercomprises: receiving vehicle information specifying the vehicle; anddisplaying on the second terminal the vehicle information.
 5. Thenon-transitory storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the secondinformation indicating the distance between the vehicle and the secondterminal is updated as the terminal approaches the vehicle, and themethod further comprises: displaying on the second terminal the updatedsecond information.
 6. The non-transitory storage medium according toclaim 3, wherein the method further comprises: outputting, via a speakerof the second terminal, the second information indicating the distancebetween the vehicle and the second terminal after displaying the firstinformation.
 7. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1,wherein the second terminal is a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet,or a portable sized personal computer.
 8. A leading system comprising: adevice provided in a vehicle and configured to output a predeterminedsignal to an area around the vehicle, the predetermined signal includingvehicle identification information; a first terminal configured to senda request information to a server, the request information includingposition information relating to a position of the vehicle, and thevehicle identification information that matches the vehicleidentification information included in the predetermined signal; and asecond terminal configured to: receive, from the server, a requestsignal that includes the position information relating to the positionof the vehicle, and the vehicle identification information that matchesthe vehicle identification information included in the predeterminedsignal, receive, from the device provided in the vehicle when the secondterminal enters the area around the vehicle, the predetermined signalthat includes the vehicle identification information that matches thevehicle identification information included in the request signal,display, in response to reception of the predetermined signal thatincludes the vehicle identification information, first informationindicating that the vehicle is near the second terminal.
 9. The leadingsystem according to claim 8, wherein the second terminal is furtherconfigured to display map information including the position informationbefore the terminal enters the area around the vehicle.
 10. The leadingsystem according to claim 8, wherein the second terminal is furtherconfigured to display second information indicating a distance betweenthe vehicle and the second terminal after the second terminal displaysthe first information.
 11. The leading system according to claim 8,wherein the second terminal is further configured to: receive vehicleinformation specifying the vehicle; and display the vehicle information.12. The leading system according to claim 10, wherein: the secondinformation indicating the distance between the vehicle and the secondterminal is updated as the second terminal approaches the vehicle; andthe second terminal is further configured to display the updated secondinformation.
 13. The leading system according to claim 10, wherein thesecond terminal is further configured to: output, via a speaker, thesecond information indicating the distance between the vehicle and thesecond terminal after displaying the first information.
 14. The leadingsystem according to claim 8, wherein the second terminal is a mobilephone, a smartphone, a tablet, or a portable sized personal computer.15. The leading system according to claim 8, wherein the device is abeacon provided in the vehicle.
 16. The leading system according toclaim 15, wherein the vehicle identification information is a beacon IDassociated with the beacon provided in the vehicle.
 17. A methodperformed in a first terminal and a second terminal, comprising:sending, by the first terminal, a request information to a server, therequest information including position information relating to aposition of a vehicle, and vehicle identification information of thevehicle; receiving, by the second terminal from the server, a requestsignal that includes the position information relating to the positionof the vehicle, and the vehicle identification information of thevehicle; displaying, on the second terminal, map information includingthe position information; receiving, from a device provided in thevehicle when the second terminal enters a first area around the vehicle,a signal that includes vehicle identification information that matchesthe vehicle identification information included in the request signal;and displaying, on the second terminal in response to reception of thesignal from the device provided in the vehicle that includes the vehicleidentification information, first information indicating that thevehicle is near the second terminal.
 18. The method according to claim17, wherein the map information is displayed before the second terminalenters the first area around the vehicle.
 19. The method according toclaim 17, further comprising displaying on the second terminal, secondinformation indicating a distance between the vehicle and the secondterminal after displaying the first information.
 20. The methodaccording to claim 17, further comprising: receiving vehicle informationspecifying the vehicle; and displaying on the second terminal thevehicle information.